George Michael was the 1980s. He had the looks, the moves, and the talent. As one-half of the beloved pop partnership, Wham!, he was especially a star. He and Andrew Ridgeley made up the duo, and together, they were unstoppable with their double-take image, energetic stage presence, and their irresistible tunes.
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Mostly courtesy of Michael, it was his songwriting and production prowess that gave life to many of the twosome’s greatest works. Here are eight Wham! songs you may not have known were crafted solely by George Michael.
1. “Young Guns (Go for It)” – Wham! (1982)
Written by George Michael
Young guns having some fun / Crazy ladies keep ’em on the run / Wise guys realize there’s danger in emotional ties / See me, single and free / No tears, no fears, what I want to be / One, two, take a look at you / Death by matrimony, plays Wham!’s early dance-pop hit, “Young Guns (Go for It).”
This 1982 Michael-penned-and-produced track marked Wham’s first hit. Just teens at the time of the song’s success, the young duo would perform “Young Guns (Go for It)” on their first-ever television appearance.
2. “The Edge of Heaven” – Wham! (1986)
Written by George Michael
Take me to the edge of heaven / Tell me that my soul’s forgiven / Hide your baby’s eyes and we can / Take me to the edge of heaven / One last time might be forever / When the passion dies / It’s just a matter of time before my heart is looking for a home, Wham! sing on the jazz-pop-tinged tune, “The Edge of Heaven.”
The 1986 tune, “The Edge of Heaven,” was billed as Wham!’s farewell single just ahead of the release of their final album, Music from the Edge of Heaven. Written and produced solely by Michael, “The Edge of Heaven” would be one of his many self-penned swan songs to Wham! on the album.
3. “I’m Your Man” – Wham! (1985)
Written by George Michael
Call me good / Call me bad / Call me anything you want to, baby / But I know that you’re sad / And I know I’ll make you happy / With the one thing that you never had, plays the duo’s 1985 bop, “I’m Your Man.”
“I’m Your Man” is another Michael-crafted tune from Wham!’s final album together. “‘I’m Your Man’ is pretty different to anything we’ve ever done,” he once shared of the hit, adding that it was written very quickly. “The whole of the first verse and chorus came to me in five minutes on an internal flight in America.”
4. “Bad Boys” – Wham! (1983)
Written by George Michael
Bad boys, stick together / Never, sad boys / Doo doo doo doo doo, woo woo / Good guys, they made rules for fools / So get wise / Doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo, Wham! sing against a backdrop of blinding pop in “Bad Boys.”
Another early Wham! hit, “Bad Boys” also got the Michael’s treatment and would be the biggest success from their 1983 debut album.
5. “Last Christmas” – Wham! (1984)
Written by George Michael
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart / But the very next day, you gave it away / This year, to save me from tears / I’ll give it to someone special, the pair vocalize on their holiday hit, “Last Christmas.”
It’s awe-inspiring to think that a smash hit tune like “Last Christmas,” a song that still endures today, could come from a single mind. By the talents of Michael alone, the 1984 classic was born and can be heard every December still.
6. “Everything She Wants” – Wham! (1984)
Written by George Michael
Somebody tell me, oh (Won’t you tell me?) / Why I work so hard for you? (Give you money, work to give you money, oh), plays the 1984 Wham! classic, “Everything She Wants.”
Writing the tune’s backing track first, Michael explained the 1984 song came together within 24 hours. “I wrote the Linn drum pattern and found a synthesizer program I liked and wrote the backing track in one evening, took it back to the hotel, and wrote the vocal in a hotel room the next morning,” he explained to ASCAP in Action (via Fred Bronson’s The Billboard Book of Number One Hits). “Because it was thrown together that way, I never looked at it as a single ‘til everybody started saying it was great.”
7. “Freedom” – Wham! (1984)
Written by George Michael
I don’t want your freedom / I don’t want to play around / I don’t want nobody, baby / Part-time-love just brings me down / I don’t need your freedom / Girl, all I want right now is you, the pair sing in their persistent pop hit, “Freedom.”
A single from their sophomore album, Wham!’s “Freedom” was another chart-topper thanks to Michael’s expert songcraft. The 1984 tune was an international success and further cemented their worldwide stardom.
8. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – Wham! (1984)
Written by George Michael
Wake me up before you go-go / Don’t leave me hanging on like a yo-yo / Wake me up before you go-go / I don’t wanna miss it when you hit that high / Wake me up before you go-go / ‘Cause I’m not plannin’ on going solo / Wake me up before you go-go / Take me dancing tonight, Wham! sing on their iconic “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”
The 1984 classic would be the duo’s first hit in America. The Michael-penned-and-produced ditty is still considered Wham!’s signature song today.
(Photo by Steve Rapport/Getty Images)
